Save Her
by Mitsy-chan
Summary: When Haruhi is suddenly kidnapped, the hosts enlist the help of a young British detective to help solve the case. Little did they know the secrets of their fellow classmates and the cheeky inspector herself. T for violence.
1. The Kidnapping of Haruhi Fujioka

Disclaimer: I don't own Ouran, or any references I might make in this story.

Note: Continues directly from where the anime drops off.

Summary: Ouran's annual festivities are brought to a screeching halt when Haruhi is kidnapped. The Host Club enlists the help of a world-renowned British detective—the thing is, she's barely older than they are. As they search for their kidnapper they discover her secrets and why she's so intent on solving the case.

Shippings (not the biggest theme of the story but still): TamaHaru and Kyoya X OC

**Shoutout to Miss Light Bright! She let me use an idea of hers similar to her awesome story 'Lost Without You,' so after you're done reading this, go read that for some twins! XD**

xXOXx

_**The Kidnapping of Haruhi Fujioka**_

xXOXx

It was over, finally over.

Haruhi exhaled in satisfaction as she and Tamaki waltzed together, floating around the Ouran courtyard as gracefully as her two left feet allowed her. She looked up at her friend to find his glistening violet eyes staring at her own contrastingly dark ones, showing an unreadable expression.

"What's wrong, senpai?" she asked quietly.

"For one, you keep calling me 'senpai'," he chuckled. "But I'm really curious to see how our lives will turn out now, since your secret is revealed, and I finally went against my grandmother's orders." Tamaki paused and frowned.

'_Someone would have to be blind to deny the fact that Haruhi's a girl,'_ he thought curiously. Haruhi was wearing a glistening ivory dress that flowed elegantly around her dainty feet. The female student body had gotten over their initial shock and now only cast the pair a few confused glances, but Tamaki still had a feeling that his troubles weren't over yet.

Haruhi gave him a small smile. "Don't worry about it, Tamaki. You should just enjoy this night for now, and don't worry abo—"

Suddenly a pair of arms were around her waist and Haruhi was lifted off the ground and spun in circles. "YOU CALLED ME TAMAKI! YOU'RE SUCH A GOOD DAUGHTER! THE NEXT STEP IS TO CALL ME DADDY!"

"Not happening, senpai!"

A few yards away, Hikaru and Kaoru walked up to Kyoya, who observed the odd pair with a far off gaze. "Hey, Kyoya…" Hikaru started, crossing his arms the best he could with his sling.

"…what are you thinking about?" Kaoru finished. The man in question smirked and adjusted his glasses.

"I'm trying to calculate the chances of Haruhi falling for one of us. It was a task that I occupied myself with occasionally, but every time, I come up with the same result: she chose Tamaki." He shook his head to support his statement, and the twins pouted in response.

"Way to make us feel better," Hikaru scoffed.

"But you are right," Kaoru muttered, catching his brother's gaze. "I think we all kind of knew in the back of our heads that she'd go for Tamaki anyway. We were attracted to her, while knowing that we never really stood a chance."

"Kao-chan's right," chimed a voice from behind them. Hunny was resting his head on top of his cousin's, letting Mori carry him around slowly. "We all like her because she's different from the other girls in school, right Takashi?"

"Mm."

The hosts remained silent for a few moments, eventually looking back at Haruhi and Tamaki, who were arguing animatedly about some petty topic once again. Their concentration was broken when a sharp whistle was heard. The teenagers blocked their ears at the shrill sound, groaning in protest.

On a stage nearby, their manager Renge was standing in front of the microphone. "Sorry about that, it was the microphone." She sighed, and then began speaking at a much greater volume. "The Host Club is proud to have you all here for this special event! We hope you are all having a wonderful evening!" Her introduction was followed by a bout of polite clapping.

"As the manager of the Host Club, I am proud to announce the names of two of our students, voted by the student body as the Prom King and Queen!" She paused and added, "It's a commoner tradition."

Tamaki grinned and grabbed Haruhi's hand to pull over to where the students were all gathering near the stage. The hosts were huddled together at the front, with Tamaki, Hikaru, Kaoru, and Hunny anxiously awaiting the results while Haruhi, Mori, and Kyoya looked like they couldn't care less.

"The Prom King is…Tamaki Suoh!" The crowd erupted into screaming applause as Tamaki squealed a 'yes!' and ran onto the stage with a sparkling flourish. He smiled warmly and threw flowers into the audience before stopping near Renge so she could place a crown on his head.

Renge cleared her throat again before stepping back up to the microphone. "And our Prom Queen is…Haruhi Fujioka!"

Haruhi stared at her with a blank expression. "No, I'm not."

"Yes you are!"

"No I'm not, Renge. I really don't want this."

"But you are, so get up here!" Before Haruhi could retort again, she was shoved onto the stage (she blamed the twins) and dragged to the microphone by Renge. She brandished a sparkly silver tiara and placed it on Haruhi's hair.

"Um…thanks." Haruhi fidgeted with the unfamiliar object on her head and crinkled her nose awkwardly. "Now what?"

"HARUHIIII~" Tamaki gushed scooping her up in his arms once more and squeezed her tightly. "You're just SO adorable, like a little doll! Daddy's so proud of you!"

"Let go, Tamaki!" She pushed him away by shoving his chest away with both hands and proceeded to walk away. "You seriously have some personal space issues."

xXOXx

"So, enjoying the party?"

Haruhi looked up from her food at the sound of Hikaru's voice to find him leaning against the edge of the table with his good hand propped on the surface. He held out a pen to where she was sitting and pointed to his bad arm. She took the pen, frowning at the obscure amount of female signatures taking up all the space on his cast. "I'm having a great time. Um…"

He turned his hand and unraveled his fingers, revealing a near blank space on his palm, save for Kaoru's unruly handwriting. "Saved it for you."

"Thanks." Haruhi signed her name quickly. "How's your arm feeling?"

"I've felt better," Hikaru mumbled, looking to the stars. "I just thought I'd let you know that Tono's probably going to gather all our friends for a final dance soon, so you should head over to our table soon. I know you're sitting a little farther away because the whole 'party' thing isn't your cup of tea."

She chuckled a little. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Let me finish this tuna first before I head over."

"Is it good?"

"It's heaven," Haruhi gushed, gulping down another piece. Hikaru laughed before walking away.

He frowned when he was away from eyeshot, letting his gaze fall to the ground. He lost. He could tell by the blissful look she had when she danced with Tamaki, and how she was the only one who got to really know him. Hikaru felt defeated. He waited too long.

"Now what?" he whispered to no one in particular.

"EEEEEEK!" The ear-splitting scream snapped Hikaru out of his thoughts, and he spun to the sound of the voice. His heart was pounding. That scream, slightly lower-pitched them the other girls, echoed in his head.

It was unmistakably Haruhi's.

"HARUHI!" he yelled without even knowing. He ran back to where she had been sitting, only to gasp.

xXOXx

Kyoya swore as he spilled his fruit drink all over his notebook. He grimaced when he realized that the remaining blank pages couldn't be salvaged, scaring quite a few girls around him. When he noticed, he merely straightened up and used his cloth napkin to wipe the back and absorb as much juice as possible.

At least he was sitting at his table alone; Tamaki would have done nothing but give him grief. Said host was off charming some ladies as usual a few yards away. Hikaru went off a while back, muttering something about Haruhi, and since he hadn't returned yet, Kaoru had gone off to search for him. Predictably, Mori had followed Hunny on a cake run. No one was within eyeshot or earshot and he was left alone to calculate the costs of the evening. It was a perfectly suitable environment for him.

Well besides the fact that he just ruined his notebook.

With a sigh, Kyoya got up with his notebook in arm. Perhaps the dance floor had something to keep him busy.

"EEEEEEK!"

"HARUHI!"

The sudden exclamations quickly caught his attention. Without even realizing it, his feet were willed to run toward the shouts. A panic rushed over him. Something bad was happening. He heard the quick rhythm of light feet beside him; Hunny was always the fastest runner. But soon, Tamaki whizzed by, running for dear life.

A small cluster of girls had gathered around where Hikaru was standing. The girls were whispering, "What's happening?" and "Where's Haruhi?" making the hosts' hearts drop.

They gathered around the small circular table that was covered with a pure white tablecloth. The chair was obviously moved judging by the angle. A fork with a chunk of fancy tuna was on the floor near a sparking tiara, almost mocking them. A pink handkerchief was innocently lying on the table.

"Hikaru, what's going on?" Kaoru demanded, grabbing his brother's shoulder and shaking him lightly. Hikaru couldn't respond, eyes wide with terror and confusion. He was frozen in place. "Hikaru?" Kaoru whispered softer.

"I-I could have sworn," Hikaru's voice choked. "She was right here a moment ago. I heard her scream, a-and I came and she's…gone?" He began shaking and Tamaki stepped forward. His eyes were covered by his blonde hair, but by the way he carried himself and picked up the tiara gingerly, the group knew not to make a sound.

"This party is over," he spoke slowly. "Kyoya, call your police force."

"Already on it." Kyoya muttered, dialing the number on his smart phone.

Tamaki just stood there, staring at the tiara forlornly. Kyoya's eyebrow furrowed tightly as he spoke into the phone, doing his best to keep his voice even. The twins intertwined hands, looking down and trying to keep their cool. Hunny sat in a nearby chair, hugging Usa-chan tenderly as Mori patted his back.

One by one, the slightly shaken students left the campus, but a few of them stayed behind. Tohru, who had come back from England to see Kanako, was hugging his fiancé to stop her crying. Kasanoda was frozen in his spot in a similar fashion as Hikaru was earlier. Nekozawa frowned as he leaned against a tree in the shadows. Renge was hyperventilating with a small group of dedicated Haruhi fangirls. Ayame Jonochi from Tamaki's class watched the group somberly. Last of all, Kazukiyo and Momoko looked at each other with unsure glances.

With one small event, the entire academy of Ouran was shaken.

xXOXx

In a dark room illuminated by a single desk light, Abby Benson was at a dead end.

Frustrated, she swept the kidnapping files off of her desk and her hands through her unruly red hair. Abby had spent hours on end trying to solve this case, with all of her potential leads failing to pull through. She was tired, sleepy, and hungry.

But she couldn't give up. Not when her sister's life was on the line.

With an unsatisfied moan, she picked up the papers scattered on her bedroom floor and halfheartedly organized them. Then she threw herself into her bed, attempting to massage away the migraine that was threatening to make her head explode. She needed a break.

…Which she apparently wasn't getting since her phone began playing some irritating ringtone that always seemed to drill itself into her brain and never gets out. She sighed and reached for the device and brought it up to her ear.

"Detective Abigail Benson, who is this?" she said automatically in her thick British accent. Listening to the other line, her eyes widened and she sat up quickly. "W-wait, slow down. Where are you?" She dashed over to her desk, pulling her black notebook and pen from her desk drawer and jotting down the address while muttering things like "Mmhmm" and "Continue."

Satisfied, she turned her attention back to the caller. "Thank you very much. I'll be over immediately. May I have your name for reference?…Great, I'll be right there." Abby hung up and wrote the man's name in her scraggly cursive (_'Kyo…Kyo-ya? Kyoya? Damn, what is up with the Japanese language?'_ she thought cynically). She pulled a black over-the-shoulder bag from under her desk and hastily stuffed her notebook inside. Next, she went over to the closet to grab her black fedora and red trench coat.

Feeling for her motorcycle keys in the jacket pocket, she smiled and was out the door in a flash.

xXOXx

AN: …I just realized how similar the title is to _The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya_. I didn't mean to do that, I swear!

So okay, I don't know too much about the whole detective world, but I'm doing my best to make sense. I hope this story keeps people hooked. Sorry if I'm an inconsistent updater (fair warning), but I will try to post the next one next Sunday.

Please review! I want to know what you guys think!


	2. Meeting Miss Abigail Benson

Disclaimer: I don't own Ouran, or any references I might make in this story.

Summary: Ouran's annual festivities are brought to a screeching halt when Haruhi is kidnapped. The Host Club enlists the help of a world-renowned British detective—the thing is, she's barely older than they are. As they search for their kidnapper they discover her secrets and why she's so intent on solving the case.

xXOXx

_**Meeting Miss Abigail Benson**_

xXOXx

"Don't worry; Inspector Renge Houshakuji is on the case!"

"Renge, this is serious. I must ask you to refrain from disrupting the investigation of this case."

"What investigation?" the girl protested, decked in Sherlock Holmes cosplay and waving her magnifying glass frantically. "My Haruhi is missing and I'm not going to sit here while he could be tortured or worse—"

"She," Kaoru cut in, leaning against a tree. "You're talking about a 'she'."

"He, she, whatever! I refuse to be restrained from searching the crime scene!" And with those words, Renge spun on her heels and stomped back to the abandoned partygrounds.

Kyoya sighed and rubbed his forehead with his thumb and forefinger. He and the other hosts had gathered around the front entrance of the school to meet the oh-so amazing detective that Kyoya had called due to a tip from one of his police force members. They had doubts about this Abby person; if she was so elusive and special then why hadn't they heard of her?

"Just let her go, Kyo-chan," muttered Hunny, who was still grasping Usa-chan as tightly as before. He was sitting on the ground, playing with the fork on a plate of cake but ignoring the treat itself. "When the detective lady comes, she'll have no choice but to leave. Renge-chan can't do much harm."

Kyoya nodded and opened his notebook to write something, shutting it soon after remembering the mess he had made. He decided it would prove a benefit to go talk to Tamaki, who was staring at the night sky wistfully.

"Do you think they'll find her?" the host in question whispered. His violet eyes looked lost and desperate.

"I have no doubt in my mind that Haruhi will be returned safely." A lie, Kyoya knew, but everyone seemed to need a little encouragement. He was trying hard to convince himself that his statement was true.

"Everything was going so well. She was finally accepted for who she was and…" Tamaki started. He gulped, and added, "…it crumbled."

All the hosts were left in a tense silence when he finished, all with somber looks on their faces. The ones who seemed to taking it the hardest were Tamaki and Hikaru, who seemed like they were on the brink of tears. The others were at a loss for how to comfort them.

The thought was pushed aside at the sound of a sputtering motor. The hosts looked around, until they saw the headlights of a motorcycle coming down the street. Kyoya's eyes widened in surprise.

On the red motorcycle was a young-looking female figure with a long red trench coat. He could barely make out a pair of boots in the dim light and frowned. He expected their mastermind to be more professional.

She parked her ride on the side of the school's driveway and removed her helmet, revealing her long red hair. Removing the fedora from her bag and placing it on her head, she started walking over to the shell-shocked hosts.

"Good evening," Abby greeted politely, dipping into a slight bow. "My name is Detective Abigail Benson but I'd prefer it if you called me Abby." The teenage girl smiled warmly. "May I ask which one of you is Kyoya?"

Kyoya stepped forward and bent to kiss her hand briskly. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Benson."

"I insist, call me Abby." Her smile faltered and she gingerly pulled back, turning the lightest shade of pink but frowning deeply. Her brown eyes looked to the floor awkwardly.

Hikaru broke the tension by asking, "How old are you? You can't be old enough for this."

Abby huffed. "I'm twenty-one." The boys' eyes widened. "I was home-schooled, for your information."

Hikaru coughed. "Oh, sorry. Well…should we head to where Haruhi was last seen now? I don't want to go home too late." Abby noticed that the twin was acting rather uncomfortable with the situation and that his brother's calming words were all being ignored. She'd keep an eye on him for sure.

"Very well, take me to the area where Miss Fujioka was kidnapped." The group walked back inside, while Abby reached into her bag, took out her notebook and pen, and asked, "Can you give me some background information about the victim?"

The word victim made some hosts flinch, but Kyoya and Mori kept calm. The former responded, "Her name is Haruhi Fujioka, age sixteen, and the second highest student of class 1A, accepted by a scholarship. She has been working for our host club to pay off a large debt she owes us. Just today, she revealed that she was a girl to the student body."

Abby nodded as she wrote. "Continue. Where was she when she was kidnapped?"

Kyoya made as if to answer, but Hikaru cut in. "She was at a table near a less crowded area of the party. Nobody was really paying attention to her though, so I guess she just wanted a little peace and quiet. Parties aren't her thing."

The investigator raised an eyebrow at his comment, pausing from jotting down notes. "How did you know this?"

Hikaru looked flustered and rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "I, uh, was looking for her because I wanted her to sign my cast. I talked to her for a bit, and then started going back to my table when I heard her scream. When I went back, she was already gone."

"And where were the rest of you?"

"I was talking to some very nice ladies near my table," Tamaki said.

"I was looking for Hikaru." Kaoru shrugged.

"I was getting cake! Takashi came with me, but he went away to go to the bathroom," Hunny offered from Mori's shoulders. His older cousin nodded with a "Hn."

Kyoya adjusted his glasses and fought to keep a straight face as he added, "I was merely sitting at the table and I happened to spill my juice all over my notebook just before the incident." The twins smirked, but quickly went back to impassive faces as Kyoya glared in their direction.

Abby giggled and placed her hands on her hips curiously. "So basically none of you were really paying attention to each other, and you can't prove that anybody is actually telling the truth? I guess I'll need to look for more evidence then." She shrugged and sighed. The hosts looked at her oddly.

"Isn't that your job?" asked Kaoru.

"Well yeah, but I'm actually in Japan on a special assignment and I'd like to finish this case sooner so I can focus on my primary objective. I've got some priorities back home in London, you know." Her pace picked up a little bit and the twins decided not to push any further.

"What is this!" Abby raised her hands at the sight of the crowd attempting to burst through the security tape surrounding the door to the party grounds. "Um, hello? This is a private investigation. Why are all these people here?"

"These are Haruhi's friends," Tamaki answered timidly. During her outrage he had dashed behind Kyoya for protection.

"Well they're not supposed to be here, so…" Abby walked straight into the crowd, shoving lightly to get through. "Excuse me. Pardon me." The hosts made to follow her into the crowd, only to have her pushed into Kyoya. Their notebooks fell to the ground and Abby hastily picked them up and offered one to Kyoya.

"Why are these people so rude?" she muttered.

"The people in this school love her. Being a host has its benefits." He smiled, but Abby caught the fakeness in his eyes.

"Wipe that smile off your face. It doesn't suit you." She peered over the shoulders of the curious onlookers, looking for an opening to pass.

Kyoya began, "I can always tell my family's police force to—"

"HEY!" Abby shouted firmly, making quite a few people jump. "LET ME PASS. I'M ARMED AND I'M NOT AFRAID TO SEND A BULLET THROUGH YOUR SKULLS!" The crowd parted like the Red Sea in fear, and she passed through as if it was nothing.

"Or she can do that," Kaoru huffed and they followed once more.

"Wait till she finds Renge. That girl will flip," Hikaru added.

"Must be a British thing," they agreed.

Meanwhile, Kyoya had gone in front to hold the door open for the inspector to pass through. She glared at him questionably. "Flattery gets you nowhere."

"I'm merely making a kind gesture," he retorted swiftly. For ages they seemed to stare at each other, locked in a mental game of chess. The air was still around them as the mass of students stared in awkward silence.

"I bet you think you're funny."

"I'm ashamed that you feel that way."

"Don't you dare mock me."

"Aren't you being a little too defensive?"

Abby opened her mouth to speak again, but a piercing scream had come from outside, followed by two loud bangs. Her eyes widened and she spun to the sound rapidly. "What was that?"

"Renge-chan was just outside!" Hunny gasped. The hosts immediately made as if to run outside, but Abby raised her arm to block them. She fiddled inside her backpack, taking out a small handgun and loading it with a few bullets.

"You were seriously armed!" the twins exclaimed. She ignored them and ran outside, holding up her gun defensively. After a few moments of silence, they heard a firm "Coast clear!" and cautiously followed after her.

At first they couldn't find her, but Tamaki gestured to look near the table Haruhi had sat. Abby was bent over a body that had a growing puddle of blood around it. The brown eyes were wide open in surprise and blood was seeping out of the chest. The detective had two fingers pressed against the neck, and then the wrist. Sighing, she stood back up.

"She's dead," Abby whispered solemnly. "Two bullet wounds to the chest. With an injury like that, there was next to no chance she could have survived anyway."

Tamaki closed his eyes in pity. "We told her not to go."

"It's not your fault. But…" Abby shifted her position awkwardly. "My partner back in England was on the homicide department. I'm a little out of my element here, but I think it's safe to say that whoever killed...Renge, I believe…escaped by dashing into bushes." She gestured to the chair. "Judging by the angle of this chair, Haruhi's captor must have yanked her from the chair before using the same escape route. Hm…" She walked over to the table and examined the items on it.

Her eyes remained transfixed on the handkerchief. "Does this belong to Haruhi?"

The hosts stared at the pale pink cloth. It seemed to be just a regular cloth, until Abby flipped it over and revealed a small black insignia. The symbol was that of an oriental dragon, as if it was curling upwards.

"I haven't seen it."

"Weird dragon."

"It's funny looking."

She cradled the fabric in her gloved fingers thoughtfully. Suddenly, Abby clutched the handkerchief in her hand and thrust it in Tamaki's face. He let out a squeal of surprise before passing out. The hosts ignored him; passing out was a normal thing for their lord.

"Chloroform," Abby muttered. "Just like last time."

"Last time?" Hunny repeated. "Do you know where the handkerchief came from?" The girl in question bit her lip and nodded. "Can you tell us?"

"I…" she trailed off hesitantly. "I saw it last month during one of my cases."

"And it means?" urged Kyoya.

"It means a few things. It means I underestimated the severity of this case. It means that Haruhi is in very grave danger. And it also means that I'll be staying in Japan longer than I thought." Abby had a very troubled look on her face as she continued to handle the small cloth square. Suddenly she stopped, and looked up at her clients' confused faces.

"You," she ordered, gesturing to Kyoya. "Can you get me a list of anybody that has had contact with either Fujioka or Houshakuji within the past few days?"

Kyoya raised a curious eyebrow. "Why?"

Abby smirked and held up the notebook she had in her other hand. "Because, judging by the ridiculously large juice stain in this notebook, you're innocent. Answer my question or you don't get it back."

His eyes flickered from her expecting facial expression to his black notebook, which he had just noticed was identical to Abby's. Had she planned this all along?

"It will take a few days, but I can."

"You have until tomorrow." The private eye shoved his notebook into his chest while yanking hers from his grasp. "I'll send this handkerchief for DNA testing, but since I don't have a team here in Japan, it might take a few days. You should keep Houshakuji's corpse in safekeeping for a while, so I can access it whenever I need." She stiffly turned away and began to leave.

"Wait!" Hikaru yelled.

"You didn't tell us what the emblem really means!" Kaoru added.

She paused, and half turned her head to speak to them. "A month ago, my father died in a car accident. I came from London to bring my sister back home, because she could not take care of herself. When I arrived, she was being wrestled into a truck with the exact same emblem on the side. I haven't seen her since. My research indicates that the emblem is a symbol that belongs to the Red Dragons, a secret human trafficking syndicate." With that, Abby walked away, leaving six startled hosts behind.

xXOXx

A/N: HEY, LOOK WHO UPDATED ON TIME! *Achievement Unlocked!*

Okay, let's get real. The action finally starts this chapter! I've revealed Abby's true intent on accepting the case, and who are the people that kidnapped Haruhi. Oh yeah, and Renge was killed. :P

Next chapter might be a little shorter, but it'll switch to how Haruhi's doing.

Thanks for reading!

~Mitsy-chan


	3. Losing Hope

Disclaimer: I don't own Ouran, or any references I might make in this story.

xXOXx

_**Losing Hope**_

xXOXx

(The next morning)

Haruhi's eyes fluttered half-open. It took a while for her to come to her senses and deduce that she was lying sideways on a very, very cold floor.

"Wha…?" she moaned, still in a half-drowsy daze. Haruhi attempted to move her hands over to push her body into a sitting position, only to find that they were tightly tied together. She wriggled slightly, discovering that her legs were also bound. It was only when the floor began shaking when she began to panic.

Her eyes shot open as she took in her surroundings. She seemed to be in the back of a moving truck, and there wasn't much in the small storage space except her. There was a box in the corner, but the long leather strip that peeked out of the box was enough to keep her from wanting to look inside. She really didn't want to know.

There were two windows in the small space. One was facing the back of the truck and one was facing the front. 'I need to see those windows,' she thought to herself.

Getting to a height where she could see out the windows seemed impossible the way she was laying on the ground, so she wriggled until she got to a wall. Using it as a brace, she managed to use her legs to scooch herself up the wall. Now she was standing upright, but she had to make an extra effort to balance herself.

Haruhi looked out the outside window first. It was covered with a wire mesh, probably to make sure she couldn't escape. The unfamiliar neighborhood was disappearing down the street quickly. Hardly a car was parked in the desolate street, and overall, it seemed like a place that the twins would have called 'ghetto'. Perfect. They'd totally find her here.

She dared to cast a glance over to the opposite opening, paling when she saw the appearance of her captors. There were two of them: a burly guy with barely any hair, tattoos, and the hugest muscles she had ever seen, and a smaller, but still well-built person whose face was covered by a ski mask. He wore a white button-up shirt and black pants while the hefty man wore a black tee and short pants. Both of them looked like they were capable of snapping her neck like a twig.

The truck rolled over a speed bump, creating a tremor so violent that Haruhi couldn't hold back a squeal as she lost her balance and crashed to the floor. She groaned as her arm was once again pinned under her uncomfortably. "Damn," she whispered with her teeth gritted in pain.

Panic washed itself over her again as the truck screeched to a halt. She heard the sound of car doors opening and closing. When then lock on the door of her storage unit clicked, she frantically struggled against her bonds.

The door swung opened and she winced at the sudden light from the outside. Her two captors were standing outside, looking at her with evil smirks. The large one had popped a cigarette in his mouth and chuckled at her defenseless form.

"Nice job, kid," the large one said, a puff of smoke escaping his lips. "She's cute. This one's a keeper for sure."

"Yeah, sure…" muttered the other guy quietly. Haruhi blinked from her place on the storage floor. His voice was painstakingly familiar… "I told you I picked someone worthwhile."

"Honor student?"

"One of the most beloved honor students in the entire school," the small guy scoffed. "Let me help you bring her in, so I can go back to Ouran before school starts. He entered the small room and grabbed a thrashing and protesting Haruhi by the waist. She twisted deftly and bit his arm, gaining a yelp and a few swear words.

The young man rubbed his arm with a grimace. He leaned close to Haruhi's face and whispered threateningly. "Fujioka, you really don't want to hurt me. You don't know what I'm capable of."

Haruhi's eyes widened in horror. "Oh my god. It's you." In her moment of shock, she was easily lifted over her captor's shoulders and out of the truck. After she came back to reality, she began flailing wildly in his arms to no avail. "No! Put me down! You can't do this to me!"

"Open the door, Mako," he ordered, ignoring her.

The older man huffed and threw his cigarette on the floor before stomping on it with the heel of his foot. "You've got some nerve, tellin' me what to do."

"I don't give a shit. Open the door," demanded the teenager. "And you, shut up. There's no one within a five-mile radius that will come to your rescue." Haruhi silenced herself at the words.

Haruhi was scared. Frightened beyond belief. Not even thunder had this effect on her. So when she heard a large door crash open behind her, she didn't have the heart to look inside.

"Welcome to your home for the next week or two, princess." She was pretty sure it was Mako who spoke. She forced herself to open her eyes.

She wished she hadn't.

Teenage girls, all at around her age, sat on their knees against the walls of an empty warehouse. Their clothes were tattered, backs were hunched over, and eyes were shut. Surprisingly their legs were unbound, but their hands were chained to the walls so escape was inevitable. None looked up at the fact that they had a new addition to their group. Haruhi's heart plummeted to her stomach.

Haruhi was carried over to an empty space next to a girl in a ripped pale pink t-shirt and ragged brown skirt. The sight of lash marks on her arms and legs nearly made Haruhi want to hurl, but she was harshly placed on the ground before she could react. In a frenzy, the small male had untied her hands so he could cuff them to the wall and the large man had discarded the rope around her legs (which Haruhi kept closed upon remembering that she was still in her party dress).

With a huff, the younger man got up. "Well, I guess it's back to Ouran for me." He reached in the pockets of his dark pants and pulled out some car keys as he walked over to the door.

"Will you be bringin' back another girl this time around?" Mako smirked at him earning a chuckle.

"Probably not today. I'll leave the students of the school to wallow in their misery for a while."

"You're just a little devil aren't you? You sure people aren't suspicious of you?"

Mako earned a glare in his direction. The teenager walked over to the door, turning back only to say, "Haha, you're hilarious. Not." With that final word, he was out, and Haruhi heard the sound of a car revving and speeding away.

Mako turned to Haruhi with a grin. "You get a few moments of peace before I get to break you in." He turned away and began to go towards the door of a different room.

Haruhi found her voice at that moment and shouted desperately. "Wait! What do you mean by 'break me in'? This is illegal! You can't keep people like this!" His figure disappeared behind a door.

"Oh god. Oh god. This can't be happening," she whispered. She stared at the cuffs on her wrists, seeing if this was really happening. She even tugged on the chains to try to free herself. "What's happening to me?"

"They'll whip you," a small voice whispered.

Haruhi's head shot up. She looked around but all the girls were still in the same position. No one had even made a move.

"Are you okay? They were really harsh to you."

The voice came from her left. She turned to see that the girl from earlier had slightly opened her eyes and just barely turned her head to face her. She smiled slightly, but Haruhi could tell that she was careful not to attract attention.

"I'm…fine." Haruhi's heart was breaking just looking at the girl. Her eyes had a dull sheen to them and her shoulder-length brown hair looked singed in some places. "What happened to you?"

"They beat you. They use whips and rope and they burn you the first time." Haruhi's face turned a deathly shade of white at her words. She didn't say 'me'. She said 'you'.

"Why?" Haruhi croaked.

"They try to make you forget about your friends and family. They try to make you lose hope." Haruhi realized that the girl's voice has slightly raspy and strained.

"What's wrong with your voice?"

"I don't know," the girl rasped. "They won't treat it. This is as loud as I can talk."

A feeling of pity washed up in Haruhi. "I'm sorry."

"Me too. My name is Lizzie."

"I'm Haru—" The door swung open again and Lizzie squeezed her eyes shut. "—hi." Her last syllable came out as a squeak when she saw that there were two other men following Mako out of the room. They came over to her trembling form and uncuffed her.

"No!" she wailed, trying to break out of Mako's grip. "Don't hurt me!" The other two men looked around before deciding on two girls to bring with them, one being Lizzie, who barely had the strength to fight back, and the other a blonde who didn't try at all.

"Bring 'em in," Mako ordered. His colleagues agreed with an affirmative nod and followed Mako through the doorway, which led to a dark hall. Haruhi stopped yelling in fear as Lizzie was carried into a room across from where Haruhi's captor was opening the door.

The last thing Haruhi saw before she was thrown into the room was Lizzie mouthing the words 'Stay strong.'

xXOXx

At a coffeehouse not too far from Ouran Academy, a limousine slowed to a stop. Kyoya Ootori stepped out of the backseat before waving back to the driver. "Thank you, Tachibana. I'll walk from here."

"But sir!" his guard shouted back. "We should bring you to school as protection from a potential murderer!"

"You're not safe alone!" said Horita from the other front seat.

Kyoya stared at them threateningly. "Just go." They needed no further orders as the limo revved back up and disappeared down the street. "Idiots," he muttered as he walked to the storefront. He paused, noticing the motorcycle nearby. Curiously, he walked in.

Crème and Sugar was a quaint little hangout for teenagers on their way to school. Kyoya had found out earlier that year, and was soon a regular customer due to their delicious coffee that helped him calm down from his morning rampages. Ouran students especially enjoyed stopping by since it was only a few minutes' walk to school.

He wasn't too surprised to see a familiar redhead at the back of the line, scribbling in her notebook. Her fireball hair had been strangled into a messy bun and she wore what looked like stereotypical office woman clothes: a white button up shirt and a black skirt. She paused, and sneezed into the crook of her elbow.

"Bless you," he offered.

"Oh, thank you," Abby muttered, smiling at Kyoya for a moment. She spun around again. "Oh wait, it's you! Good morning!"

Kyoya blinked. "Since when are you so chipper?"

"Meh, since there aren't real suspects around, I don't feel the need to put up an intimidating façade, you know?" She shrugged. "Did you get the list done? Sorry for putting so much pressure on you to get it done."

"I have it with me right now, actually." Kyoya pulled a manila folder out of his book bag. "I stayed up all night to make it. I really need some strong coffee this morning."

"Hey, so do I. I stayed up to do a little background research on you guys." Abby chuckled guiltily. "Tell you what; I'll buy it for you for the trouble. It's the least I can do." She reached into her pocket and pulled out her purse with a wink.

Kyoya was still confused from the personality flip Abby had apparently gone through. "Alright. I'll go get a table."

"You go do that." She turned her attention back to the line since during the conversation, her place had moved up. As she turned, Kyoya didn't miss the mischievous, knowing glint in her eyes.

Nope, she was still the same.

xXOXx

An order later, Kyoya was sitting opposite Abby at a two person table while she read the names on his compiled list and nibbled on a waffle. After a few moments, Kyoya spoke up.

"Too many people?"

She swallowed and muttered. "Doesn't matter, as long as it's accurate, I can work with it." She glared up at him. "This accurate, right?"

"Of course it is." Kyoya took a sip of his coffee. "I'd be insulted if it wasn't."

"I'm just messing with you," she shot back, sticking her tongue out at him. "Lighten up. Now, are there any people on this list I should look out for?"

Furrowing his eyebrows, Kyoya thought about for a while. "Obviously, Hikaru seemed a bit anxious yesterday. It's hard to believe that he would do anything to Haruhi though. We're all very respectable people. And…"

"He likes her, doesn't he?" Abby flickered her eyes at Kyoya's ash gray ones. He nodded, and she huffed, looking bored. "Typical. If a girl's been kidnapped at a high school, I'd expect there to be high school drama."

"Truth be told, we all liked her at one time or another. It's Hikaru and Tamaki are still holding on to their feelings. The rest of us grew out of it a while ago." He pushed up his glasses very matter-of-factly. "I suppose there is someone else you may need to interview. You should go see…" He pulled Éclair's picture out. "…her first."

"Name?"

"Éclair Tonerre, aged seventeen, Paris native. She came over yesterday to the party and wanted Tamaki's hand in marriage. Tried to drag him off to Paris, but Haruhi intervened. She left with no further arguments. I did some research and figured out that her flight back to France had been delayed."

"Until?"

"Today. Twelve-thirty." The two gave each other knowing glances. "If you rush, she'll still be at the airport."

"Precisely my thoughts. I was headed there anyway. I have a friend flying in." Abby finished of her waffle with a grin. "And by the way, I've been meaning to ask you…" Kyoya raised his eyebrows questioningly. "I don't have a partner for this case. Would you mind helping me out? With the interrogations at least?"

He stared at her. "You're sure?"

She bit her lip and nodded. "Your records are amazing. I would be honored to have you working with me."

Kyoya pondered the decision for a moment. He was a busy high school student. He had standards to maintain, and taking a main part in this case could both interfere with his studies and possibly endanger his life.

But then again, they both knew that without a helping hand on this case, it would take forever to solve this case. Kyoya had the knowledge, the connections. And Abby had the detective skills.

They would be the perfect team.

They shook hands.

xXOXx

A/N: I'm really pushing the time limit on this one aren't I? I meant to cut it off with Haruhi being dragged to the room, but some odd force spurred me to add the coffeeshop scene at the last moment. So you get a long chapter. Yay. I don't think it's as good as the others though. :/

Lemme know what you think! And yeah, the kidnapper is male. Not too many females to choose from anyway.

~Mitsy-chan


	4. Flown In

(I don't think the disclaimer is needed anymore, really.)

xXOXx

_**Flown In**_

xXOXx

At eleven fifteen on the dot, Abby arrived at Tokyo International Airport. She cut past the people in line, wanting to talk to the attendant. "Hey, what's the big idea?" a particular middle-aged man yelled. She just flashed her badge in reply. The nerve of some people.

"Good mor—" started the lady at the desk. She was harshly interrupted by Abby slamming her identification and badge in the counter.

"Hi, listen," Abby talked in a hushed, but still stern voice. "My name is Detective Abigail Benson, and I'm here on very important business. I need access to a terminal to interrogate a potential suspect for a case, so can you contact someone to let me through? Security's tough." She smirked as the lady frantically grabbed for any kind of communication device to spread the word. "Thank you," Abby said with a grin as she walked away.

The security at the metal detectors inconspicuously turned off the machine to let her pass. As she passed through, she pulled the manila folder out of her bag. Éclair's photo was sticking out for easy access, and she pulled it out to look at it. "She's pretty," Abby murmured to herself. With her fair light brown hair, mysterious azure eyes, and perfect skin, Abby couldn't help but think that Éclair had that signature French air about her.

She arrived at Terminal 13, where the plane to Paris was due to land in a few minutes. From its stop in Tokyo, it would make two stops at New Delhi, India and Budapest, Hungary before fully arriving at its destination. It was now quarter-to-twelve, and Abby knew she had to work fast to find Éclair for questioning.

It didn't take long, for Éclair was sitting at the seat farthest away from the door. Her eyes were downcast and it was apparent that she had been crying recently. Her body was mostly covered with a plush blanket. Had she spent the night?

Abby approached with caution, in case Éclair was emotionally unstable. "Miss Tonerre?" The girl in question looked up with a mixed expression of confusion and annoyance.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Abby Benson. I'm a detective," she explained earnestly. "I would like to ask you a few questions."

xXOXx

(Interrogation 1: Éclair)

"Why are you here?" Éclair asked averting her gaze. "I didn't do anything wrong."

Abby frowned. From the get-go Éclair seemed to be troubled and out of it, so she knew she had to approach the subject delicately. "You were at Ouran yesterday."

"Yes."

After a short silence, Abby cleared her throat. "Did you meet a Haruhi Fujioka during your visit?"

If it was even possible, Éclair's expression hardened more. "God, is this about me wanting to marry Suoh? I was forced into the marriage, okay? And after I met him, I genuinely did like him…"

"Nonono, that's not it!" Abby insisted, waving her arms in assurance. "Suoh's not involved with my case. At least, I don't think so. I—wait, did you hear the news?"

"What news?" the French heiress asked through clenched teeth.

"Haruhi Fujioka has been kidnapped."

The effect was instantaneous. Éclair's face fell and her eyes became wide in surprise. She sat up straight and looked Abby dead in the eyes disbelievingly. "What?" Her voice was louder and shakier.

"Éclair, I know the truth is hard to grasp. And I'm not meaning to pinpoint you as a suspect, but her safe return is crucial, and I need to know where you were at the time. Can you tell me?"

"Y-yeah—yes!" she corrected herself. "I arrived at around four at Music Room three to meet Tamaki. At that time…I didn't know Haruhi was a girl, since she was in her host outfit. I sat myself down and she came to me, asking if I needed anything. Then Tamaki's father came in, and…"

"Relax." Abby placed a hand on Éclair's, which were placed on her knees. "Calm down, and continue."

"Right. After a while Tamaki's grandmother came in. She told him to cater to me for the duration of the festival. Sooner or later, I found out that Haruhi was a girl, and I got a little jealous. I tried to pull them apart, but I didn't feel good while I did it. I acted on impulse, you see." Éclair's hands were trembling now.

"That's reasonable enough. We are only human. I understand," Abby urged.

"At around six, Tamaki's father came into the room we were in. He said we had to get married. Of course I was told this prior to the moment, but Tamaki looked heartbroken. We left the room with his father, and we announced that we were getting married. Tamaki and I left to drive to the airport, but Haruhi followed on a carriage. She said how much Tamaki meant to the group of friends before the carriage jolted and she fell into the water below. And I let Tamaki go after her. I just went to airport alone and I stayed the night." She finished with her eyes closed. Abby let her stay silent for a few moments and smiled when her eyes opened again.

"That was very honorable of you."

Éclair shared the grin with tears in their eyes. "You know what they say. If you love somebody, you'd be willing to let them go."

A beep was heard from the speakers, followed by a short announcement. "Attention," a clear female voice rang. "The twelve-thirty flight to New Delhi, Budapest, and Paris has arrived. Passengers please get ready to board the flight." Abby and Éclair looked at each other.

"I think I have the information I need. I can just ask the airport workers if you were here during the kidnapping and you'll be cleared." Both of the girls stood up and Abby helped fold the blanket while Éclair prepared the luggage. Handing the blanket to Éclair, she suddenly engulfed the surprised girl in a hug that was hesitantly returned.

"I should go; I'm already late for a meeting back in France." Éclair began to walk away, but paused and turned back around. "Do whatever you can save Haruhi, and tell her that I'm sorry when you find her. I can't change what's been done here, but I feel genuine regret for the decisions that I've made."

"I'll be sure to tell her." Abby waved as the heiress disappeared into the crowd of stressed passengers. Their conversation had made her feel oddly sentimental and warm on the inside, and Abby left with a smile on her face.

xXOXx

"Eeeeee! Oh my goodness, it's Tokyo! Matty, look!"

"For the love of god, Tilly! Slow down!" The crowd turned around to see a rather handsome young boy with ruffled brown hair chasing an excited younger girl out of their airplane. They looked related, for both had chocolate brown hair and matching eyes. The girl's eyes were wide as she took in the foreign air.

"I've never been this far away from home!" she babbled. She twirled, the skirt of her loose pink sundress fluttering around her. "How are you not excited!"

"I never said I wasn't!" panted Matt as he caught up. "Seriously, did you have an energy drink this morning?"

"No, I had five! Now where is Abby? Shouldn't she be here by now?" Tilly spun around frantically, rolling over her brother's foot with her luggage, but not paying attention.

Matt pulled out a smartphone and stared at the screen. "This text says that she should be here any—"

"ABBY!" The detective was suddenly glomped with hundred-or-so pounds of British pep and nearly fell over. "We came over as soon as you called! Are you really doing a case with hot Japanese men?"

"Whoa, Tilly! Down girl!" Abby pried her friend off her body and laughed. "I never said that! I merely said that my clients are rather good looking to the female students of their school. Wait…huh, that is misleading." She blinked for a few moments, and then turned to her other friend. "Nice to see you too, Matthew."

"As always, Abigail." The group shared hugs before Abby stepped back and cleared her throat.

"I suppose you need an explanation as to why I flew you guys here?"

"Let me guess. You wanted to abuse Tilly's eidetic memory for your case, and you wanted me for my forensics equipment and to keep a leash on my sister." Matt looked at Abby impassively. "You're unbelievably predictable, Abby. You did the same when you took that murder case in Argentina."

Tilly perked up. "I remember that! Who would have thought that the tour guide was the one who decapitated the –"

"OKAY! Let's get out of here before security calls us out for being a public disturbance." Matt agreed and heaved his sister over his shoulder while Abby helped him roll the luggage away from the prying eyes of curious passerby.

xXOXx

A/N:…What?

Okay, it seems that I've lost my muse a little this week. This fic was inspired by the TV show Castle, and the season just ended so I lost a little of my excitement for upcoming crimes and stuff…is it obvious?

So I rewatched the final episode of Ouran on Youtube for research on Éclair, and I was upset about how much hate she got in the comments. So I set out to make her seem like a good person in this chapter. Then I decided that there should have been more characters to help with the investigation, and I added a little comic relief. I promise a better chapter next Sunday! Thanks for hanging in!

And please review!

~Mitsy


	5. Pressure

A/N: *tries to get plot going to make up for last chapter*

Warning: Some characters are manga-exclusive. Wiki helps. ;)

xXOXx

**Pressure**

xXOXx

Tension filled the air in Music Room Three. Guests both familiar and not, were seating in a pristine ivory long table, awaiting their detective's arrival.

At one end, the chair was unoccupied, as well as two seats to its left. On the right, however, Kyoya was dutifully writing in a fresh black notebook, ignoring the curious glances from the other students. Tamaki sat next to him, pestering him as to why he was being so secretive. Hikaru and Kaoru were next, having a serious conversation of some kind with Hunny and Mori, who were sitting across from them. Kanako and Tohru listened in silence, hands intertwined. When offered a slice of cake, Kanako refused quietly. Kasanoda was looking stern as usual, but Kaoru backed away from the mountain of tissues piling up around him. Momoko and Kazukiyo also shied away on the opposite side of Kasanoda. Ayame and Nekozawa sat next to Tohru wordlessly.

The other half of the table was occupied by faces unfamiliar to most. Ranka weeped at the other end of the table. Misuzu did his best to help, but his daughter, Mei, just looked out the window in thought. Yasuchika, Satoshi, and Shiro sat across from them awkwardly, being the youngest people attending the meeting. Takeshi Kuze, who was next to them, dwarfing them instantly. The only empty chairs were at the far end and two empty seats between Kazukiyo and Mei.

Attention was immediately brought to the sound of a jiggling doorknob, cutting off all noises whatsoever. As the door cracked open, the teenagers sat straight in their chairs.

Arai calmly walked in, slowing down at the stares he was getting from the impatient students. "Um, hello…?"

"False alarm," Hikaru groaned. The others huffed and turned away as they lost interest, slumping back into their previous positions. Arai just stared from his spot in front of the doors.

"Out of the way, Arai." Arai was suddenly shoved aside and a girl about his age was suddenly standing in his place. "I hate it when people stand in the middle of the walkway like that. It's like they have no appreciation for other people who need to get past." She flipped her hair and found at least ten pairs of eyes locked on her.

Tamaki gasped and Kaoru's mouth hung open. "No way," he muttered.

"She looks like Haru-chan!" Hunny exclaimed, gripping Usa-chan with one arm and using his other hand to point his fork in her direction.

"Um, I don't think so," the girl murmured. True, her hair was the same shade as Haruhi's and she was a little lanky, but her hair was well past her shoulders and her eyes were a light green in color. "Haruhi and I are completely different." She grabbed Arai by the wrist and dragged him to the seats next to Mei. "Hey, Mei."

"Hi, Kasumi."

The doorknob turned again and Abby calmly walked in, her two friends closely behind. Tilly and Matt took their seats while Abby set down her files and bag, walking to the closet to pull out a whiteboard on wheels—the same one that Tamaki frequently wrote on to outline the Host Club's grand ambitions for the day. At the moment, there was a comical chibi doodle of Tamaki on the white surface, drawn in red and blue marker. 'Our Lord Tamaki!' was written in large bubble letters. Abby's eyebrow twitched, and she quickly erased the board in an eerie calmness.

When she was done, she turned to the awaiting teenagers. "Good afternoon everyone," she spoke with an oddly cheery tone. "I am Detective Abigail Benson. I suppose you all know why you're here?"

"Actually, we don't," Yasuchika cut in.

Abby blinked in confusion, before the realization dawned on her. "Kyoya, what did you tell them?"

"Rumor has it she's sick," he reported with an affirmative nudge of his glasses.

She sighed. "Well, Haruhi isn't sick. She's been kidnapped."

The underclassmen's eyes widened and Arai's face morphed into despair. Ranka looked like he was going to cry again and Kasumi let out a loud "What!"

Abby removed a picture of Haruhi and stuck it to the whiteboard. "Haruhi Fujioka was kidnapped at approximately eight-fifteen last night, during the annual Ouran Fair. Kyoya, toss me an Expo marker." He brandished a blue marker out from seemingly nowhere and threw it in her direction. "Thanks." She wrote the time under Haruhi's picture. "She was sitting at a table far away from the view of most, and there were no witnesses. The only clue left behind was a pink handkerchief, but we may be able to pull DNA from Haruhi's tiara and fork, which were left on the ground near the crime scene." She pulled out plastic Ziploc bags with the evidence in them and continued.

"There's another thing. At about ten-thirty, after the partygrounds had been evacuated and I arrived on the scene, Renge Houshakuji was killed at the same area after taking two GSW bullets to the chest. I have reason to believe that these two crimes are connected." She posted Renge's picture, wrote the time, and drew an arrow connecting the two images with a question mark.

"Wait, why isn't anybody else in the school informed of this? If the students' families' police forces all pitched in, we could get this case solved much faster." Ayame threw her pin-straight hair back with a scowl.

"Haruhi's kidnappers are skilled professionals. This case holds connections to my previous case so I was called on, but otherwise this is a very confidential investigation and we plan to keep it that way." Abby capped the pen with a flourish and gestured to her friends. "Allow me to introduce you to my team. That is Matthew Knox. He is a very skilled forensics specialist and will be carrying out most of the DNA work as well as weaponry." Matt waved kindly and smiled. "The girl next to him is his sister, Tilly. She has an eidetic memory meaning that everything she has seen, heard, or experienced in any way is permanently etched in her brain. She's also my translator, since I do not know how to speak Japanese thoroughly yet. And—"

"Hi, I'm Tilly!" said girl chirped from her seat. "I'm so excited to be here!" She waved spastically and gave the crowd a huge grin that rivaled Hunny's.

"Right…okay. Moving on." Abby slapped her hand to her face before continuing. "My partner is caught up in England and cannot make it to Japan, so for the time being, his place will be taken by Kyoya."

If it was even possible, the scene became even more silent. The tension hung in the air like a dense fog, until Tamaki whispered, "What?"

"You've been keeping this secret from us the entire time?" Hikaru shouted.

Kyoya merely pushed the bridge of his glasses again. "You'd find out eventually. My involvement is insignificant."

"Besides," Abby added. "He's innocent and he's got information on each of you. And that reminds me," She turned to the awaiting group. "Each of you in this room had contact with either Haruhi or Renge within twenty-four hours of their kidnapping and murder. Kyoya and I will interrogate each of you one by one to figure out if either of them had odd instances in their schedule and also to find out if any of you have any involvement in this case."

"Are you kidding me? We didn't do anything!" Mei shrieked from her seat. There were a few comments and protests in agreement. Abby sighed.

"You all know very well that you can't be too careful. I'm just doing my job. So, you all will wait here, and Kyoya and I will set up the back room. We'll call you in when we're ready. Matt, run the tests on the evidence. Tilly, you're coming with us." Matt took the bags and went to the kitchen area where he had set up his equipment. Tilly, Abby, and Kyoya retreated to the back room, leaving the rest of the teenagers behind.

xXOXx

So, yeah, still cutting it off short. Because the interrogation chapters will be longer. And it's an early update, so be glad. :)

Kasumi is kind of like a half OC. I wanted another 'commoners' point of view to work with, and in the second Karuizawa episode, Haruhi mentioned keeping in contact with 'Kasumi', an old classmate. I supposed I could work with it.

And one more thing: I take a Multimedia Art class at school, so I learn about programs like Photoshop and Illustrator. In Illustrator, I've been absentmindedly doodling the coffee shop scene, and I'm thinking of making it something that I can post online for you guys to see. The thing is, I'm trying to figure out how to save the drawing as a JPEG, and how to draw Kyoya because I can't draw dudes. I've got Abby down to a T, but I'm worried about not drawing Kyoya correctly because someone's going to give me grief for it if I get him wrong. And I can't do this for all my stories because I don't have room in my schedule for the class next year. Decisions, decisions…

Enough about me. Let me know what you think! Someone in that room is guilty…;)


	6. UPDATE

Hey, readers…I'm guessing you expected an update, but you see…

It's the freaking end of the school year! I'm almost to finals, which is next week, and for the past few weeks, I've been working on a seven page research report. So you see, even if I somehow find the time to type on my computer, it's not much.

And I've also got my hands full with a few new projects: A Hikaru X OC oneshot indirectly requested by a friend, a prologue to a new Pokemon murder mystery, and possibly another oneshot for Pokemon since June 28 is a day for a celebrated pairing…so yeah. Hands full.

*sigh*

But everything is a-okay since summer vacation starts on Friday, and I'll be updating in the summer! (I don't have a life and forgot to sign up for summer classes D:) Thank you for being patient and expect a new chappie within the month.

Wow that doesn't sound promising at all. FAIL.


End file.
